The popularity of Poker and in particular the variant called Texas Holdem has grown very rapidly over the last several years. The games reputation has benefited off of the publicity provided by all the televised games on cable TV such as the WPT, WSOP, and celebrity poker to name a few.
Additionally easy access to poker via the Internet, the ease of learning how to play the game, and the exiting entertainment it offers players of all skill levels has played an important role in its recent attractiveness.
You may have heard the holdem cliché which states it's a game which takes only a few minutes to learn but a lifetime to master. Well hopefully we can kick start your desire to play and give you the tools needed with a brief synopsis about the game.
Texas hold'em poker can be played between as few as two players, but more commonly you will find tables of 9 or 10 players. One player at the table is designated as dealer and a dealer button indicates this position. Game play starts to the left of this dealer and will move clockwise around the table. At the completion of each hand the button or dealer also moves clockwise around the table.
Prior to dealing the two players to the left of the dealer ante chips to sweeten the pot and keep the game moving. These players and their ante are referred to as the blinds. The first one is the small blind the second is the big blind. The small blind is ½ of the big blind and the big blind will be equal to the minimum bet.
To start the hand each player is dealt two cards face down. These cards called the hole cards are private to each player. Each player then looks at his or her two cards and calls, bets, raises, checks, or folds according to their hand strength. If a player raises the following players must then match that raise by calling the raise or folding.
After this round of betting has been completed the dealer will burn a card or remove a card from play then deal three community cards face up. These cards are referred to as the flop and each player may use them in the creation of their best 5 cards. Another round of wagering ensues.
The dealer then burns another card and deals one more community card face up. This card is referred to as the turn or 4th street. After this another round of wagering ensues.
If multiple players still remain the dealer then burns another card and deals one final community card face up. This card is referred to as the river or 5th street. After this another round of wagering ensues. After this final card the player with the best possible hand constructed of the seven available wins the money in the pot.
That should give you a very basic understanding of how the game is played. More than likely as a result of seeing the game on TV you already had that knowledge and are now ready to try the game out for yourself. Below is one of the more popular online poker rooms offering Texas Holdem poker. You will find plenty of games and enough action to keep you happy for a quite some time here.
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Party Poker is an excellent multi-player platform that permits players to communicate one on one while playing games like Texas Hold'em, Omaha High, Omaha 8 or Better, 7 Card Stud, Stud 8 or Better. I personally enjoyed playing at this poker room and if you're a serious poker player, I'm sure you will too.
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